


Love You Better Now

by mylarentsloveme



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, i probably will, not sure if i will go into detail with ziam yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2017-11-29 01:19:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylarentsloveme/pseuds/mylarentsloveme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“My three words have two meanings, there’s one thing on my mind. It’s all for you.”</p><p>Harry and Louis meet at an alcoholic’s anonymous meeting and may or may not have a thing for each other. Zayn’s an indecisive jackass, Liam likes to sing sometimes and they may or not hate each other passionately. Oh yeah, and Niall thinks he’s Justin Bieber.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blue Frosting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t know or own One Direction. This is not real, it is completely fictional.

Harry doesn't really know why he’s there, to be honest.

 

It wasn't even his idea in the first place.

 

It was his Mum’s fault — his stupidly wonderful, angelic Mother.

 

Alcoholic’s Anonymous, really, this is definitely something he hadn't planned for when he woke up that morning.

 

“Harry, I’m volunteering for a local AA meeting tonight, and I really need you to be there.” His Mum, Anne, had asked as she pulled a batch of cupcakes from the oven in their small kitchen. He breathed in the sweet aroma for a moment, before walking over to the hot tray and grabbing a tub of frosting.

 

“I thought you had Robin helping you out?” He questioned, pulling a sprinkles-shaker from the cupboard.

 

“I did. But he got into a bit of a tiff with the janitor, and — well. Robin can’t go within two thousand meters of Mr. Sampson until further notice. Wash your hands.” She slapped him with a dishtowel before he could begin frosting the cupcakes.

 

Harry made a small noise in his throat, moving to the sink to wash his hands thoroughly.

 

“He got a restraining order? Robin got a restraining order from the janitor at my old college?”

 

Anne scoffed, setting two small spatulas on the counter.

 

“He didn’t want to tell me why he punched the poor man in the face, no matter how many times I asked nicely — “

 

“And I’m still not saying anything!” Robin walked in with a wide smile on his face, ruffling Harry’s hair with one of his hands before planting a sweet kiss on Anne’s cheek. She moved in to hug her husband, burying her face in his chest.

 

“So will you, Harry?” Her muffled voice asked desperately.

 

Harry hesitated, knowing he already had plans to go on a blind date with some random guy Niall had set him up with.

 

“I — ” he started.

 

“Please? Do it for Mummy?”

 

Fuck.

 

“Okay. Okay, yeah, I’ll go.” Harry sighed guiltily; he knew he could never actually say no to his Mum.

 

Before he could even register the squealing, she tackled him into a sideways hug, rocking from side to side excitedly.

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She chanted loudly, jostling him and causing him to trip over his own feet, knocking them both over, along with the tub of frosting and the pan of cupcakes.

 

Ten seconds later he found himself on a frosting-covered floor, his Mum groaning loudly and Robin’s jovial laughter filling the room.

 

Harry sat up, seeing Anne a few feet away in the same position, and dozens of ruined cupcakes scattered throughout.

 

“Those cupcakes were for tonight,” he heard her say, before groaning as well and flopping his head back onto the floor.

 

And now here he is, at a fucking AA meeting, when he should be on a date. Harry’s almost positive he has cupcake batter on his forehead and blue frosting in his hair, but he can’t even bring himself to care.

 

This meeting will probably be full of old and/or homeless people, so what’s the point of looking presentable?

 

He’s standing at the front of the room, right next to the cupcakes, while waiting for the alcoholic’s anonymous people to walk in. Or whatever they call themselves. He hears his mum talking to someone outside, and figures it’s an early bird.

 

He straightens up slightly when the door cracks open, and his eyes widen at the sight of Niall chatting easily with his mother.

 

“Niall?!” Harry gapes slightly and rubs his eyes a few times. “You — You’re — You come to Alcoholic’s Anonymous?”

 

“Harry, mate, fancy seein’ you here!” Niall crows before tackling Harry into a bear hug.

 

“Yeah, my Mum volunteers here, so — “

 

“I know that.” They stare at each other in silence for an excruciating thirty seconds, until Harry can’t take it anymore.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“Well, good Harold, there comes a time in a man’s life — “

 

“Niall.” Harry interrupts abruptly. The blonde sighs while Harry rests a hand on his jutted hip, tapping his foot impatiently.

 

“Okay, so. Like, I’m kind of an alcoholic?”

 

“Are you asking me or are you telling me?” Harry smirks.

 

“No, fuck you. I’m a regular here, you’re not, I call the shots — “

 

“Anne! Cupcakes, really, I’m just waiting for the right time to propose.” An unknown voice calls out from behind, sounding delicate and soft, yet loud and strong. How that’s possible, he doesn’t really know. Harry turns around and audibly gasps at the sight.


	2. Definitely Not Indigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My three words have two meanings, there’s one thing on my mind. It’s all for you.”  
> Harry and Louis meet at an alcoholic’s anonymous meeting and may or may not have a thing for each other. Zayn’s an indecisive jackass, Liam likes to sing sometimes and they may or not hate each other passionately. Oh yeah, and Niall thinks he’s Justin Bieber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this took way longer than it should have and my only excuse is laziness but I promise I'll try to be better at updating! Be ready to endure some infatuated!Harry and a bit of Louis worshiping.

The most beautiful man he's ever seen struts right up to the two, glances in Harry's general direction quickly, and hugs Niall - in a more than friendly way, the unreasonably possessive side of his mind says. He's wearing extremely tight jeans, which showcase his round hips and round, perky bum, along with a blue jumper that frames his body nicely and hangs off his collarbones just right. His hair is in a messy fringe that sweep just above his long eyelashes on one side, and his skin is so flawless and tan that Harry barely stops himself from salivating on the spot.

 

"Justin, good lad!" the brown-haired boy crows loudly. Harry raises his eyebrows and turns to Niall, but knows this is just something his best friend does. You see, Niall has a bit of a problem, not including the newly discovered alcoholism.

 

He thinks he's Justin Bieber.

 

Harry is the only person in the entire world that's allowed to call Niall by his actual name, as everyone else is asking for a death wish if they dare to call him anything other than "The Biebs," "Justin," "J Bieb," "Swaggie Masta," or "J."

 

It's not like he's  _completely_  delusional, but it's recently been a downward spiral and he has even taken to dubbing anyone he speaks to as a fan.

 

Just last week, he took a few pictures with random teenage girls and uploaded them on Instagram, giving captions saying things like " _I love all my beliebers!_ " and " _me with my most beautiful fan #believe."_

 

Harry's seriously thinking of checking him in with a psychologist sometime soon. Or a counselor, anything to keep him from ditching his bleached-blonde hair.

 

"Lou! Long time no see, am I right or am I right?"

 

"You're wrong. I saw you yesterday."

 

"Oh. Yeah. Well, Harry, Louis. Louis, Harry." Niall says dismissively, and Harry feels like this should be treated with much more care, because it feels like a monumental moment in history... or something. Harry smiles what he hopes to be a seductive grin, but probably ends up making himself look more like a teenage girl with a huge crush on the cute guy.

 

"Well hello there, Harry." Louis' eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles and his eyes are so, so blue and Harry is pretty sure his heart has completely fallen out his arsehole. 

 

He still manages to reach out his arm to shake Louis' hand, but his plans are thwarted when the smaller boy throws him a disgusted look.

 

"Oh -- I'm -- I'm so sorry, I just -- " Harry doesn't really know what he's apologizing for, but he's sure he upset Louis and if he doesn't make that wonderful smile appear on the boy's gorgeous face again, he'd be committing a crime to all of mankind. 

 

"I don't do handshakes, Mister  _I'm too cool for hugs_." Harry pauses his rambling and laughs in realization, reaching forward to embrace the smaller man.

 

Louis smells like cologne and coffee and a little like spaghetti, but Harry wishes he could bottle the scent and keep it forever.

 

That sounds more than a little crazy, and he chastises himself for getting so attached to someone within minutes of meeting them. He's always known he can get a bit clingy, but honestly, this is simply unacceptable.

 

The hug lingers for longer than the one shared between Niall and Louis, so Harry can't help but smile smugly.

 

When they separate, Louis lets out an obnoxiously loud laugh, but all Harry can think about is how he wants to replay that sound for the rest of his life. Louis' laugh is something billions of songs could never describe, and that's when Harry realizes he's acting like a bit of an obsessive stalker. 

 

For the rest of the meeting Harry avoids being near the pixie-like fellow, but he does manage to carry a semi-interesting conversation with an elderly woman named Caroline, who also happens to be his neighbor.

 

She tells him about her hardships and her recently deceased husband, and he tells her about his disappointing love life. They exchange numbers and Harry assigns her contact name as "Flack A Doodle Doo." She's a sweet woman and laughs at all of his cheesy jokes, plus he manages to stare at Louis only thirty times within an hour.

 

It wasn't an easy feat, so he's quite proud of himself.

 

The group session of the night is extremely heartfelt, and Harry nearly cries when Louis' turn comes around.

 

"Sometimes things just don't work out, but I'm beginning to realize that you can't always fix everything that's been broken." Louis smiles through his tears and Harry wishes he could pick the other boy up and wipe away his tears (and maybe kiss some of them away, or squeeze him until he's happy). Anything that has to do with touching and loving Louis, Harry wants it, which should be alarming. He chooses to temporarily ignore the warning signals going off in his head.

 

He also wishes he came to the meetings from the beginning, if only to know Louis' complete story, but that makes him feel a bit selfish.

 

He should probably care about Niall a whole lot more right now, but after speaking with him in the loo, he knows his friend is completely fine. Well, as fine as he can be if he's still going around, tricking people into thinking his name is Justin.

("Niall, why in the hell haven't you told me about this?" He had asked exasperatedly, pacing back and forth between stalls.

 

"Harry, chill. The Biebs has got it all down. I don't really have an alcohol addiction, but I've got the hots for Miss Selena sitting down by Mr. Olly."

 

"There is no Selena here, Niall. Do you mean Alicia? She's like, fifty years old."

 

"But she's got the latina blood, mate, it's what I crave!"

 

"Are you saying this because Justin Bieber just started dating Selena Gomez?"

 

"Er -- "

 

"Save it.")

 

Then Harry had proceeded to leave the bathroom and stare at Louis some more.

 

The meeting is coming to an end, and Harry smiles at his Mum as she makes a concluding speech. A sudden crash from the hallway startles everyone, including the sleeping janitor, a jumble of slurred curse words yelled by an angry voice.

 

An obviously inebriated man walks in, his gelled hair flopped onto one side.

 

"Hello, Zayn. I thought you were unable to make it to today's meeting?" Anne asks the scruffed-up boy politely.

 

"Yeah, mate, how was the blind date?" Louis pitches in, his cheery voice turned to a different, more concerned tone. Louis is such a beautiful person, caring more for others' welfare than his own.

 

While Harry ponders the different places he can get Louis' face tattooed onto his body, Zayn stumbles/walks towards Niall.

 

"Your  _'hot friend'_  stood me up, y'prick," Zayn uses air quotations. They look more like a poor attempt at peace signals. "Ended up in drinking a shitload and gettin' in a fight with that dick of a bartender. Fuckin' Liam Payne, my arse, more like Riam Sl-train!" He hiccups in a miserable exclamation.

 

Niall's face forms into a sick expression, and Louis answers before Niall ends up vomiting on the poor guy.

 

"Aw, babe. That ugly sod doesn't know what he's missing!" Zayn smiles weakly and mutters a small " _thanks_ " before falling flat on his face.

 

"Oh dear," Harry's Mum says worriedly. "Well, meeting's over. I'll see you all next week."

 

Harry's still thinking about what kind of icecream flavors Louis likes while everyone in the room quickly exits, murmuring quietly amongst each other.

 

The only people left are Harry with a dazed expression on his face, his Mum, a seemingly sick Niall, Louis with a worried demeanor, and Zayn, who is still passed out on the floor.

 

His day had taken a strange turn for the abnormal; Harry's life has been nothing but normal, but it's been generally average so far.

 

Harry Styles is your average, poor uni student. He's taking his required courses, while just getting by on rent with a job at a nearby bakery. He lives with his Mum and stepdad, and wouldn't even be paying to live there if it were up to his Mother. He couldn't forgive himself if he took advantage of her that way, considering the fact that she already feeds and clothes him. Of course he's going to fucking pay rent.

 

Robin's pretty cool, and although he's no  _Dad_  to Harry, he's always been around. So he's like a second father, which is nothing to complain about, really. His actual Dad lives a few hours away, and they see each other often enough. He gives money to Harry every few weeks, most likely out of lingering guilt for the divorce. It's not even a big deal for Harry anymore, but the younger, more rebellious version of himself would porbably disagree. He remembers how resentful he felt towards everyone; he was angry at his Dad for leaving when he was only a kid, angry at his Mum for letting him leave, angry at himself for allowing it to happen, and even angry at the world for existing. But, he learned to cope, and old wounds eventually heal.  _Eventually_  being the key word.

 

His job at the bakery is alright, and Harry's manager loves him so much that he's pretty sure he'll end up as the future owner of the quaint business. Mr. Chapman has always had a soft spot for him, always commenting on how well he works with the customers.

 

Despite common misconception, Harry hasn't always wanted to end up owning a bakery in the same town he's lived in for the entirety of his existence. Living in Cheshire can be quite boring after living there for a while, and he can recall an occasion that he almost escaped.  _Almost_  being the key word.

 

He auditioned for the X Factor back when he was sixteen years old, wide-eyed and hopeful. His hopes and dreams were thoroughly crushed when he didn't make it past bootcamp, but it's not like it was a huge disappointment or anything. (Sometimes Harry would go back and watch his audition video, just to feed his own masochistic desires, but he'd never actually admit to it.)

 

He has quite a few friends. His girl friends absolutely love going shopping, because apparently that's the only activity one can do with a gay friend. His male friends treat him pretty normally, although they crack the "no homo" joke more times than he can count. He tries not to let it bother him. They still play football and talk about sex (the straight man's curiosity for the mechanics of gay sex continues to astound him) and hot celebrities, so it's not like much has changed since he came out.

 

There's nothing wrong with his life. He's content with the way things are going.

 

Until he realizes that Louis has been staring at him for an inordinate amount of time, apparently asking him a question.

 

"Harry?" He asks, for probably not the first time. Harry cringes internally.

 

"Louis." He replies, fidgeting a little in his seat and brushing his hands through his unruly curls.

 

"Harry."

 

"Louis."

 

"Harry."

 

"Lou -- "

 

"Are you ever going to actually answer me?"

 

"No." He answers honestly.  _Honesty is the best policy_ , Mum always said. Louis sighs loudly, and Harry hopes he hasn't annoyed the other boy.

 

"Okay. Fine, but Justin has been unresponsive, your Mum's taking Zayn home, and I've got work tomorrow. So."

 

"So."

 

"I'll just..."

 

"Be on your way?" Harry adds helpfully.

 

"Um... Yeah. Yeah, I'm -- I'm gonna go."

 

"Okay."

 

"Um... Bye."

 

"Bye."

 

Louis walks out of the room and presumably, the building.

 

" _Louis has left the building_." Harry cracks an embarrassing Elvis joke -- complete with the announcer's voice -- in the back of his head.

 

"That was a really lame joke." Niall speaks monotonously from his seat on the other side of the room.

 

"I said that out loud?" He squeaks back, glad that Niall is the only other person to witness such a low point in Harry's life. Niall nods and stands up slowly, seeming a bit queasy, but a lot better than he did earlier.

 

It's progress, Harry figures.

 

He waves goodbye to Harry and walks through the same doorway Louis had earlier exited from. Harry taps his fingers against his knee to the beat of a Vampire Weekend song as he tries to entertain himself while waiting for his Mother's arrival.

 

His phone vibrates with a text from Niall and he furrows his eyebrows at the message.

_zayn was ur date_

_\- niall aka justin bieber xx_

_oh_

_\- harry aka suck my dick_

 

He sends back, while contemplating the true color of Louis' eyes. Are they cerulean, or turquoise? Blue, or azure? 

_ya_

_\- niall_

_what colour would you say louis' eyes are?_

_\- harry_

 

Harry quietly hums the chorus to that Titanic song by Celine Dion and watches a moth struggle to flutter towards the bright ceiling light. Moths. What poor creatures, so underrated compared to butterflies. Harry was halfway through an elaborate plan of conducting a moth appreciation club, before his phone vibrated once again.

 

_green_

_\- niall_

_no they're blue, but what kind of blue?_

_\- harry_

_indigo for sure_

_\- niall_

_but indigo is like almost purple_

_\- harry_

_no it isnt_

_\- niall_

_yes it is_

_\- harry_

_no_

_\- niall_

 

As Harry preares to send a picture from his phone that he sneakily took of Louis earlier, the light above suddenly flickers. He looks up just in time to see it flash once, before dying out almost immediately and cloaking the room in darkness.

 

"Mr. Sampson?" Harry calls out in a small voice, hoping that the janitor is still there.

 

After a few more minutes of calling for help from anyone, he finally slumps in his seat and thumbs a quick message to Niall.

_my mum still isn't here and the power just went out_

_\- harry_

_mate ur mum dropped zayn off 20 mins ago_

_\- niall_

_oh_

_\- harry_

 

_shouldve let louis give u a ride home dumbass_

_\- niall_

 

_what_

_\- harry_

 

_he offered to give u a ride home but u didn't answer him lol_

_\- niall_

 

_fuck_

_\- harry_

 

_can u pick me up pls_

_\- harry_

 

Harry kicks a chair in front of him and sighs loudly. Sighing, how strange is that. He figures his life is sort of like a sigh, just minor misdemeanor, after minor issue, after minor problem.

 

"Fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and a kudos or a comment would be greatly appreciated!


	3. Horton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm literally the worst person to exist hahaha but hey what's up I doubt I still have readers it's fine

"That'll be seven-fifty." Harry smiles at the customer before filling the register and walking away for his break. His break isn't for another hour but Mr. Chapman loves him too much to care.

 

After sitting down in the break room with a croissant and a cup of coffee, he checks his phone to see a new text from Niall.

 

 _hey m8_  - niall

 

 _hey_ \- harry

 

 _u down to get sum drinks later??_ \- niall

 

 _niall it's a tuesday_ \- harry

 

 _who's niall? -_ niall

 

 _you're not fucking justin bieber_ \- harry

 

 _well i sure as bloody hell can't fuck meself can i??_  - niall

 

 _bye_ \- harry

 

 _dont b like that bro just come to the bar with me tonite_ \- niall

 

 _boi_ \- niall

 

 _cmon get drunk wit me -_ niall

 

 _ure gonna regrat this if u don't answer -_ niall

 

"Harry we need you up at the front!" Barb shouts with a hint of exasperation in her voice, so he quickly pockets his phone. Harry gets a strange, vaguely sexual thrill from ignoring Niall's texts. It may just be the constant vibrations coming from his back pocket, but he's sure there's more to it than that.

 

His heart beat quickens at the sight before him, as a familiar boy with outstanding facial structure is waiting in line. Barb shoots him a grateful smile and slaps his ass before moving out of the way and pushing him in front of the register.

 

"Louis! Hi. Hi Louis." Harry stutters out like an actual lunatic, the boy before him raising his eyebrows at his stumble.

 

"Hey, uh... Horace?"

 

Harry's face falls and he lets out a defeated gasp, thinking _of course the cute boy doesn't remember me._

 

"Harry..." he corrects him softly, playing with the frayed edges of his work shirt.

 

Louis laughs apologetically, responding with a quick roll of his eyes.

 

"Oh silly me! I can be so forgetful sometimes. Anyways Hubert, can I just get a couple of cupcakes? It's my twin sisters' birthdays and I want to bring them a little surprise."

 

Harry makes a face at Louis' mistake before nodding and charging him the correct amount.

 

"It's. It's Harry. Happy birthday to your sisters though! How old are they turning?" Harry grins with excitement, putting three cupcakes into a box and closing it, a mischievous smile on his face. Louis should have a cupcake too, and after all, birthdays are worthy for celebration.

 

"Sorry about that, Horton. They're turning eleven. They grow up so fast." Louis wipes away a fake tear and grabs the box off the countertop.

 

"Harry. My name is Harry. Tell them happy birthday from me!" Harry is already shouting across the store as Louis walks towards the front door, the hefty line growing longer as their conversation continues.

 

"Will do, Hector! Thanks!" Louis shouts over his shoulder before, again, leaving the building. It would hurt more to see him walk away if his ass weren't so damn plump and perfect. He wants to do so many things to that beautiful bum.

 

"It's Harry." Harry sadly mumbles to himself, plastering a smile onto his face for the next customer.

 

It's not until he gets home a few hours later that he realizes he was wearing his name-tag. As he lays in his bed, staring at the Fleetwood Mac poster on the opposite wall, he finally comes to the conclusion that Louis purposely said his name wrong. So, it's fair to assume that he either did it on purpose to get his attention in a good way, or in a very very bad way. Maybe Louis likes him!

 

Or Louis hates him. God fucking damn it.

 

As he contemplates the plausibility of jumping off the nearest cliff, a loud thump sounds out from beneath the bed. He squeals like a five year old girl before rolling completely off the bed and landing flat on his face. God fucking damn it.

 

Groaning, he turns his head to the left and sees a face smiling back at him from under his bed.

 

"What the fuck Niall."

 

Niall laughs and shouts through his giggles, "I got you so good! Oh my god that was great."

 

"How long have you been under my bed?!" Harry screams in horror, remembering the fact that he masturbated moments before his Louis epiphany. Loupiphany. Epiphalouis. Anyway, if he came to the thought of Louis calling him the wrong name, so be it. That's beside the point. He may or may not have moaned Louis' name multiple times before reaching climax. And it's possible that he came twice in the span of fifteen minutes. Whatever.

 

"Oh I heard you goin at it, mate, and frankly I didn't want to disturb you. Louis would be furious if he knew you've been wanking it off to him though!" Niall responded nonchalantly, struggling to squirm out from underneath the bed. Harry wasn't entirely sure how he managed to get down there in the first place.

 

"Wait. Furious? Why? Oh my god he hates me. He hates me doesn't he?" Harry whines in agony, laying on his bed and settling into the fetal position.

 

"No, I don't think so. But he's mad as hell at you for ditching your blind date with Zayn and causing him to relapse." Niall flops down onto the bed, belly first, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wad of silly putty. He starts playing with it, and it looks fairly gross covered in what appears to be lint and pieces of hair.

 

"Okay. So. We're gonna get drunk tonight." Harry mumbles into his pillow in defeat, before Niall lets out a whoop of victory, gripping his friend in an octopus hug.

 

"Yes! Now that's what I'm talking about! Justin Bieber and Harry styles, goin on another whirlwind adventure."

 

Harry groans into his pillow again. He needs a new best friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was short I know but this story won't be very long and the chapters will all be pretty lighthearted and simple anyway. I'm not sure where I was going with it back when I started??? lmao wish me luck on updating next week. I'll try making this a weekly thing.


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